Rand’s look was thoughtful when he answered, “What would you say if I told you I have been thinking about the future and actually planning ahead as well?”
Nick looked taken aback. He really had been getting on Rand’s case today, Jack realized.
“I can’t tell you much about it now, but I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching during the last three years. Just because Dad didn’t think enough of me to make room for me in the family business, doesn’t mean I can’t succeed on my own. Let’s just say, my inheritance is funding an excellent cause.”
“Sorry, man. I don’t know what’s gotten into me, lately.” Nick ran a hand over his face.
“Tell him,” Jack said softly, looking at Rand. “He’s not going to say I told you so.”
Nick sighed heavily, leveling Rand with a steely stare. “Marissa broke off our engagement.”
“Shit,” Rand answered. “You should have told me. I’ve been wondering what’s been going on with you this week.”
Nick shrugged. “That’s kind of why we’re here. Jack talked me in to taking a break and getting away from Virginia for a while.”
Rand nodded agreeably, reaching over and giving Nick a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. “This is a great place for getting away, that’s for sure. And hey, I never said I didn’t like her. I just thought she was thinking too much about getting ahead and not enough about you.”
Plus, Marissa had been a player, Jack thought to himself. She’d come onto him multiple times, and undoubtedly, she’d tried to sleep with Rand too. But the two of them never discussed it. Jack and Nick would never fall into her trap, but trying to explain what was happening to Nick would be a huge mistake, and Nick had needed to discover what a money hungry cheat Marissa was on his own to believe it.
Jack grinned. “Being invited to stay in a luxury home built on the oceanfront is a pretty big incentive for taking some time away too.”
“I can’t believe you’ve added an infinity pool since the last time we were here,” Nick mumbled. “I love that.”
“I do too,” Rand admitted. “I use that pool every day.”
Jack stared across the Indian Ocean’s rolling waves, where they had a clear view of the beach from the Oceanfront Bar. Because of its location, as well as the delicious cuisine, Rand said it was one of his favorite hangouts. There were several luxurious restaurants and bars spread across Bali, along with some incredibly hot night spots, but there was something so relaxing about being able to sit outside while eating and drinking with friends, staring at the spectacular view of sand, surf and tropical landscape. This place had more of a down-home feel and was a favorite drinking hole for both Aussie and American tourists.
Rand slowly stood. “I’ll be back in a minute, guys. The food should be here shortly.”
“Alright,” Nick muttered, shaking his head.
What in the heck was going on with Rand, Jack wondered? Although it hadn’t seemed to interfere with their sightseeing, and everyone was having a great time, Rand was constantly disappearing, and Nick had noticed it too.
The redhead Rand had approached was now standing. Leaving her two friends at the bar sipping drinks, she headed outside through the same doors Rand had just walked through, exiting the restaurant onto the oceanfront patio.
As Jack sipped his beer, he watched as the pretty girl with the ash brown hair strolled with her friend toward a table that had just become available.
After the two of them sat at the table, he caught her looking his way.
Jack held his breath again, because she was even more appealing close up.
Something in the way she inhaled a deep breath made him wonder if she was checking him out too.
Although she avoided his eyes, Jack continued watching her while he rambled a few facts to Nick about some of the last few places they were planning on visiting today.
And then the food arrived, and the two of them began eating.
Finally returning and sliding back onto the seat in the booth where his food was waiting, Rand was giving the redhead a side glance again as she returned to the table where her friends were waiting.
When Rand picked up his burger, he caught Jack’s gaze.
Jack had been thinking a lot about Rand and his strange comings and goings this past week, and as crazy as it was, he might have actually figured what Rand was up to. Nick seemed to suspect something too, although Nick was looking at Rand through suspicious eyes, so Jack had been quick to defend Rand from Nick’s disapproval the entire week.
Jack might have figured why Rand was living on Bali, when he didn’t seem particularly satisfied with the life he was living here, but there had to be a reason Rand didn’t want them to know, so Jack had been keeping his mouth shut since he’d arrived.
“Date tonight?” Jack asked Rand dryly.
“Nah,” Rand answered, grinning. “I wouldn’t leave you two on your own since it’s one of your last few nights here and we’ve already made plans.”
“Ah,” Jack muttered. “Tomorrow night, then?”
Rand grinned, rolling his eyes as Nick looked back and forth between them wearing a puzzled frown.
The three of them had gone to grade school together, but Jack hadn’t become a close friend until they were in high school. Since his dad had died when he was thirteen, he’d helped his mom pick up the slack by taking care of his two younger brothers, so he’d never had the opportunity to play sports like Rand and Nick, which was how they’d become friends.
Unlike Jack, who’d always been able to read Rand well, Nick had been way too distracted by events going on in his own life, especially after meeting Marissa, so
